Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan today addressed an important press conference in New Delhi, elaborating on the ambitious schemes to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2025. The Union Minister stated that as India enters the Rabi sowing season, the Prime Minister will launch historic initiatives dedicated to the prosperity and welfare of farmers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare press release.
Chouhan said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s agriculture sector is achieving remarkable milestones and is on track to become the world’s food basket. The Union Minister said that the country’s development journey has reached new heights, and now India’s progress will be measured not against previous governments but against global standards.
The Union Minister said that ensuring food security, enhancing farmers’ incomes, and promoting nutritious grains remain the key priorities of the Central government. Since 2014, food grain production in India has increased by 40%, with record yields in wheat, rice, maize, groundnut, and soybean. “Today, India is completely self-reliant in wheat and rice, and we have exported over 4 crore tonnes of agricultural produce. However, in the case of pulses, we still have ground to cover,” he noted.
Highlighting the need for self-reliance in pulses, Chouhan said that though India is both the largest producer and consumer of pulses, it continues to be the biggest importer. Hence, the government has launched the Pulse Self-Reliance Mission to boost production, productivity, and cultivated area. The aim is to expand the total pulse cultivation area from 27.5 million hectares to 31 million hectares by 2030-31, and to raise production from 24.2 million tonnes to 35 million tonnes. Productivity is targeted to increase from 880 kg per hectare to 1,130 kg per hectare.
The Union Minister explained that a robust research and development strategy has been prepared to achieve these goals. Focus will be on developing high-yielding, pest-resistant, and climate-resilient varieties and ensuring their timely delivery to farmers. High-quality seeds will be distributed through “mini kits,” with 1.26 crore quintals of certified seeds and 88 lakh free seed kits to be provided to farmers.
Chouhan further announced that 1,000 processing units will be established in pulse-growing regions to ensure better prices for farmers and promote local value addition. Each unit will receive a government subsidy of ₹25 lakh. The entire agriculture machinery — in partnership with state governments — will function under the vision of ‘One Nation, One Agriculture, One Team’.
Speaking about the PM Dhan-Dhaanya Yojana, Chouhan said that agricultural productivity varies across states and even among districts within the same state. To address this disparity, the government will identify 100 low-productivity districts and implement targeted measures to enhance productivity. The efforts will focus on improving irrigation coverage, strengthening storage facilities, expanding credit access, and promoting crop diversification.
He said the initiative is inspired by the Aspirational Districts Model and will be monitored through a dashboard by NITI Aayog. “If the productivity of low-performing districts is raised even to the national average, overall national production will rise, farmers’ incomes will increase, and the nation’s food needs will be secured,” he stated.
Chouhan expressed happiness that the launch will coincide with the birth anniversary of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan on October 11. On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also highlight major national achievements in agriculture and rural development.
The press conference was attended by Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi and ICAR Director General and DARE Secretary Dr. Mangi Lal Jat.
